JCC Contests – Judging
Note to
Members
Dear Member,
We think it is both interesting and helpful for you to read our message to the judges who will be critiquing your work. We can strive for perfect fairness and impartiality from our Judges. You will learn this is a pipe dream but we soldier onward.
Note to
Judges
Dear Judge,
We thank you for judging our contest. We appreciate your commitment to maintaining consistency and fairness, and we kindly ask that you adhere to the letter and spirit of the following guidelines.
Guidelines
for Judges
All Contests
The Primary Directive
We request that these four elements form the backbone of your photography judging for any of our contests.
Impact | Composition | Technical | Adherence to a Theme
Impact
This includes your initial reaction to the image. What is the level of originality? Does in invoke a strong feeling? Is there a story being told? Does it hold your interest?
Composition
Are there missing or unnecessary elements? Are the elements in the "right" place? Is the viewpoint optimal? Are the common attributes such as, leading lines, shapes, cropping choices, and depth keeping the viewer within the image? Is balance and/or symmetry used effectively? Do all elements contribute to the images' goals? Does negative space, when present, add to the meaning or weaken/detract from it?
Technical
Evaluate these aspects: Focus, Sharpness, Color and Tonality, Post Processing, Lighting (Time of Day), Exposure, Noise, etc. Do they improve or detract from the effectiveness of the image?
Adherence to a Theme
How well the image conforms to it's assigned theme, if applicable, is often used to adjust scores or act as a tie breaker. Remember judges do not have the authority to disqualify an image from being scored they can/should consider it as a factor in an images' final score..
The Secondary Directives
Designated Winners
You will be informed of the number of winners for each contest. We award, at the maximum, First, Second, Third, Fourth and a number of Honors. The Honors awards are all equal but we wish you to rank them because we may need to remove/disqualify a winner and move everyone up a notch. Also, please have a runner-up Honors award selected in case we need it.
Your Scoring System
If you like to use a numeric scoring system that is fine. We do not judge below the honors level so those scores will not be shared with the entrants.
Recognize biases
We all have biases. In judging we need to first recognize our biases and correct for them. The correction can be up or down. Positive biase include the obvious: Babies of all mammals, Flowers (most are already beautiful) etc. Negative biases include ugly elements of life such as an alligator grabbing a chick who has been pushed out of its nest by a larger sibling. Images that you would not want to hang on your wall can win contests.
Next recognize and adjust for biases that are unique to you. We all have them.
Ties
There are no ties in our contests.
A Discussion without Resolution—Equalizing the Playing Field
Many experienced members and many judges recognize that images captured on a workshop have an advantage over the average image captured without the guidance of the workshop leader. Should this advantage be allowed in a fair contest? The local professional photographers group bans these images from their salons (contests). Many local clubs allow them and have a long history of doing so. So, for now, they are allowed in our contest.
How should the judge approach this subject when faced with these prints/images? For now, we have no consensus.
Guidelines
for Judges
Print Contests
Judge the Print Only
We do not want an expensive framing to influence the score of an entry. Please limit your judgement to the print itself. Ignore the matting and/or frame of the print.
The Quality of the Printing
Pay close attention to blocked darks and blown-out highlights (results in areas without ink causing the paper texture to show). These can/should directly affect the score.
Allowed Media
The print medium is restricted to paper. It includes metallic and textured paper et al.
Not allowed are metal, glass, ceramic, or canvas and the like.
The Quality of the Paper
The choice of paper can definitely affect the quality of the print and can be included in judging the print.
Viewing Light
Ideally you should view all prints under north-daylight or approx. 6,000 degrees Kelvin (artificial light). The prints should be evenly lit without glare and viewed straight on. This may not be perfectly attainable due to your circumstances. As a fallback position please insure that your final decisions are made by viewing the prints at the same time of day and that the days were equal in weather conditions. Avoid extremes of early morning or late afternoon—the golden hours.
Guidelines
for Judges
Digital Contests
Viewing Options
Please view on a monitor no smaller than 24 inches. HD (1920x1080) or higher. Please view all images on the same monitor.
Monitor Should be Calibrated Routinely
This is true for judging and working with digital photos.
Viewing of Metadata
Most clubs ask judges not to do this. We join them. Thank you.
Guidelines
for Judges
Critiques
The Platinum Rule
Never, never criticize the person. Criticize the photography, that is, what the person did not who they are.
Adapt to the Audience
The overall quality of the images tells you a lot about the audience. Adapt to the their level, or a little over. Never talk down to them.
Don't Waste Effort on the Obvious
Sometimes judges just talk because they see the image for the first time and they are thinking. They will tell the audience what it is. We don't heed to be told it is a sunset or a landscape of mountains. If you need time just pause.
The Good, The Bad and The Possible
The classic system of:
- Say something positive about the image/print,
- Say something negative about the image/print but say it constructively, repeat constructively, and
- Most Importantly, give advice as to what could have been done to improve the image/print.
Keep It Light
We all love humor and a light tone. We are all here to have a good time and learn.
Inject Lessons When Appropriate
Helping the audience learn from an image is always appreciated.
Official Rules and Guidelines